Fallen Child
by JossyRose
Summary: A story all about Chara. His life before he fell down into the realm of monsters. His life afterwards. His eventual death. And his resurrection. Semi-graphic physical and emotional abuse, bullying, idealizations of death, non-cutting self harm, and swearing. Read at your own risk.
1. Chapter 1

"But it wasn't my fa-" the child attempted to protest weakly.

"Shut up!" the burly man turned around swiftly, much quicker than his size would indicate. His hand was raised, but it did not land on his son.

The little boy looked up in surprise, teary eyed, but his expression hardened to anger. "If you would listen to me!" he screeched, grinding his teeth.

When he realized what he just did, the boy tried to run off and avoid his father's wrath, but the man was much faster and had a reach advantage. His thick fingers crushed down tightly on the child's arm as he pulled him back to face him, then set his other hand on the boy's shoulder and shook him.

"The hell did you just say to me you piece of shit? Who the hell do you think I am, one of your little friends?! I will not be spoken that way!"

Salty water slipped from the boy's eyes; he tried to wipe them away with the sleeve of his sweater, but his father's grasp prevented his effort.

"What are you crying about?" he shouted in the boy's face, "Big kids don't cry, Chara! Especially boys."

He released Chara, who ran upstairs as fast as he could. As soon as he reached his room, he rushed in and slammed and locked the door.

"Don't you go slamming the damn doors around!" his father's muffled voice shouted from downstairs.

Chara didn't care. He fell back against the wall, closed his eyes, and just cried. Even after the tears stopped, the boy did not move. He allowed the wall to hold his weight as he composed himself and then walked over to his bed, sitting down and waiting. His mother would be coming home soon, and he knew when she did, he would be in trouble.

If his father would just hit him, even once, then he would be off the hook. His father wasn't allowed to discipline him, according to his mother, because he always got carried away, a lesson he had learned from Chara's grandmother, who learned it from his great grandfather. A cycle. Chara, on multiple occasions, wondered if he would be like this when he was a father. The thought sickened him.

He heard the door open and close. It wasn't slammed, so he knew it was his mother. Chara sat up and waited for the call. Waiting. Waiting.

"Chara, come down here!" the woman's voice shouted angrily, accompanied by a slammed door.

His father was gone. Chara knew better than to make either of his parents wait, so with a heavy sigh and tears already forming in his eyes again, he stood and stepped over to the door. Deep breath. He exited the room and slowly walked down the stairs. The woman turned and glanced at him.

"Oh. I was about to come get you; I thought you didn't hear me."

Her voice was calm, but it always was. Long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, and stress lines already burned under her eyes and around her mouth, though she hadn't even reached forty yet. Her glassy green eyes were emotionless and tired.

"Want to talk?"

Chara stubbornly shook his head, and crossed his arms, but he relaxed into a more submissive position at the look his mother cast him.

"We are going to, anyway."

The boy wanted to argue, but he was smarter than that, and instead, nodded and walked over to where she sat down on the couch. He sat next to her and she placed a strong, but thin hand on his shoulder. He flinched, and she didn't miss it, but she ignored the fearful reaction.

"He is getting better," she defended, "And you must respect him."

"Why?" Chara demanded, not looking at her.

"Because he is your father."

"So?"

"He gave you life. Or, at least, he helped."

The boy wrinkled his nose in disgust, only recently finding out how that came about, and was still getting used to the idea.

He then lifted his head and said, "He never wanted me."

"That's not true."

Chara just gave her a hard look and she reconsidered her response. "Alright, he didn't…plan on it, but he loves you. You have to remember-"

"It's just how he was raised," the child quoted bitterly.

His mother nodded, giving her son a slight, sad smile. Then her expression turned stern. "Now, care to explain what happened today?"

"I can't aim," the child whispered softly, tears lacing his voice.

"Why do you say that?"

"I was playing ball outside and I…uh, hit him in the head."

"Purposefully. And then laughed."

The boy looked up, shocked, and shook his head vigorously. "That's not true!"

His mother raised an eyebrow, "Now, Chara, why would he lie?"

"Because! I don't know, but it's not true! I did it on mistake and said 'sorry' and started yelling and dragged me inside, and I-I-I!"

The boy started hyperventilating and his mother hugged him to her side, shushing him.

"It's okay, Chara, I believe you, I believe you, it's okay."

Her son simply threw his arms around her and cried.

/

It was dark when his father finally arrived home, but as autumn was approaching, daylight didn't last as long as it once did. Chara was in his room when he heard the bang of the front door. So far, the boy had managed to evade punishment with just a small lie, but his father hadn't been entirely truthful either. There was no way he would be so foolish as to laugh at his father.

Quietly, he snuck down the stairs until about halfway, listening to his parents converse.

"And you believed the brat?" his father's voice shrilled indignantly.

"No, but he was hysterical, Wren."

Chara scowled at his mother's words. She lied to him, saying she believed him and giving him false hope.

"I don't care! Did he cry? I bet he did. He is too old for that sort of behavior, Vallen."

"He is a child!"

"Yeah, and look at the pathetic shit! He has no friends, failing grades…he's worthless."

"Don't say that about our son."

"Your son-"

"He is as much yours as mine," the woman hissed.

She stood and began walking towards the stairs. Chara crawled back up as quickly as possible, thumping against the steps and running into his room. He jumped into bed and turned away from the door, tossing his blanket over himself. The door creaked open.

"I know you were listening, you aren't clever, Chara," her voice was stone.

Chara did not move.

"You can't fall asleep with the lights on," she stated, "You never could. If you don't acknowledge my existence in the next three seconds, you're going to be in worse trouble."

Grumbling, Chara sat up and looked at her guiltily.

"It's not your bedtime."

"I know."

"I'm not mad," she sat down beside him on the bed, "that you were down there. I'm upset that you were sneaking around-"

"But Papa woulda-"

"But I understand why you felt the need," she continued pointedly, "more so, I am upset that you tried, poorly, to deceive me by running up here. But let's talk about earlier."

"Papa's a lying jerk!" the child yelled, clenching his fists.

He felt a stinging slap across his face, and shouted out, jumping up from the bed, and, on instinct, tried to run out the door, but his mother grasped his wrist and pulled him classing, smacking his thigh this time.

"You will not speak about him that way."

"Because you love Papa more than me," the boy accused, glaring tearfully at her.

"That's not-"

"Yes it is! That's why he's still around and you don't care when he hurts me because you didn't want me either!"

The woman slapped him across the face again, biting her tongue so as to not say something she would regret, and then left the room, slamming the door behind her. Chara glared at the door, then crawled up onto his bed and cried.


	2. Chapter 2

Chara awoke to the bright rays of the sun gleaming in through his window; he had fallen asleep without shutting the blinds. The child stirred and covered his face with his hands, whining. Sleepiness clung to him, and his blanket was warm and comforting, but he stood up anyway. It was Friday.

A soft knock on the door startled the boy; it was the knock of his mother. Normally, this would not alarm the child, for his mother might be strict at times, but she was hardly unfair, until last night: the first time Chara recalled his mother losing her temper. He knew what she had been going to say last night. She had been about to affirm his dark suspicions before she left the room, he just knew it.

"I'm getting dressed," he lied smoothly, hiding the hurt in his voice.

"Alright, I just wouldn't want you to be late for school."

"I won't," the boy huffed.

"…Your father wouldn't want you to be late for school."

The child swallowed and stood, hoping the squeak of the bed's springs didn't alert her to his deception.

"I won't," he walked over to the full-length mirror in his room, right next to his closet door, "I'm getting dressed," he repeated.

Chara pulled his shirt over his head. The bruises from a few nights ago were beginning to fade, but were still visible and slightly tender, he learned as he poked one under his ribs. His cheeks were red, but they were naturally rosy, and when he stripped off his pants, and turned slightly, he saw that the top of his left thigh was still blushing light pink. He whined slightly, and then shuffled over to his closet, grabbing a light blue button up shirt and a navy jacket. His fingers were practiced in buttoning up the shirt, and the jacket was even easier, but he couldn't seem to locate his black pants. He looked in the closet, and then under his bed, but they were missing.

Downstairs, his mother was buttering a piece of toast and placing it on a paper plate next to a bowl of cereal at the table. She smiled weakly when she heard her son, but did not look up.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

The boy stayed silent for a moment, then mumbled, "Morning, Mama," then louder he asked, "Have you seen my school pants?"

His mother looked up suddenly, then laughed. The boy was stood in a dress shirt and pristine jacket, and his underwear. She nodded and went to the laundry room to grab a small pair of black slacks, then handed them to her son.

"Thanks, Mama," he said softly, and pulled them on, there in the hall.

Chara ran to the table and sat in the chair in front of the cereal and toast, eating quickly. With the last bites of toast in his mouth, he pulled on his light brown socks and then tossed the plate in the trashcan and the ceramic bowl in the sink for his mother to wash. His mother leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Chara thought about not returning the gesture, for the first time in his life, but reconsidered, stood on his tiptoes, and kissed the woman on her cheek.

He walked over to the door, put on his black school shoes, and left his room, bag slung over his shoulder.

/

"Oof!" was the only sound the child could emit as his face dug into the soft earth.

Chara had become very well acquainted with the ground in recent years. There once was a time when he had tried to fight back, but now he simply pulled his legs into his chest and covered his face with his arms as the older children hurt him. The oldest of the group stepped over, spewing words of hate, leaned down and reached a hand out. His fingers curled and tore into Chara's brunette locks, snapping the victim's head back at a painful force.

The younger boy cried out and clawed into the dirt, but received a boot to the face and spit on his head by another boy. The first smashed his head into the ground several times, but Chara closed his mouth and refused to make a sound. He was determined not to give them the satisfaction.

They were still yelling at him, but the words were so mingled, and miniscule compared to the physical abuse he was suffering, that he could not make them out. After a bit, the boys became bored, and left Chara there, helpless in the dirt. He stood, wiped some of the grime from his face, and walked to school on shaky legs. Class would begin soon, and he couldn't be late again. He ran.

And then he collided with another boy.

"Watch it squirt," the fifth grader pushed Chara's the shoulder, sending the smaller boy to the floor.

Chara scowled and spit out, "Sorry," before standing and rushing to class again.

/

A young boy walked along the dirt road, keeping close to the grass and staring at the small, yellow flowers that were just beginning to bloom. He smiled.

Then his face was crushing those flowers after a hard shove. He thought he had waited long enough after school, risking the anger of his father to avoid his bullies, but it seemed they had been waiting for him.

Chara growled, clenching a fist, and turned. If they wanted a fight, he would give them one, but instead of pursuing him, they ran past him, laughing. They didn't want to be in trouble for taking too long, Chara realized. He sighed and picked himself up off the ground, running home, himself.

/

The child sat on his bed, knees pulled up to his chest, arms resting on them and cradling his head. He was beginning to accept that no matter how hard he tried, his life would not get better. One of his hands moved and idly poked one of the bruises on his stomach. Tears began forming in his green eyes, and his lips quivered. He adjusted his position, so his feet were on the floor, and pulled his pajama pants down just above his knee. His fingers arched in a clawed formation, and he dragged his nails across his skin, digging in deep until he saw blood, but it did not fall. It wasn't a messy process, and it helped him feel better, helped him concentrate, but it caused a sharp sting to stroke across his leg. He repeated the process, mumbling a soft mantra to himself as he did.

"Big kids don't cry, Chara. Big kids don't cry."

And he didn't. It was a soothing motion, and the sight of blood calmed him. Blood was familiar. Something he was used to. And when he did this to himself…it was the only time he was in control of the pain that he felt.

His mother had always turned a blind eye to his father's beatings until almost a year back when he had nearly broken the child's skull. That was when she decided to step in, when she decided it had gotten too far. She didn't want him either, he knew this; she would never admit it, but he knew this was how she felt. His father had no qualms with telling him how much of a mistake he was. Chara knew both their lives would be better if he was dead, or better yet, if he had never been born at all. He couldn't fix that; whether he wanted to be or not, he had already been born. But he could disappear.

The thought rolled around in his head, and the longer it lingered, the better it sounded. He lowered his head, then stood and approached his window, looking out at the town he lived in, and up at the crescent moon.

"Please take me away…" the boy whispered up to the stars, "I don't wanna be here."

Bitterly, he laughed, and stumbled over to his bed, laying down and drifting off into a rough sleep.

Morning embraced the little mountainside town. It was Saturday. Chara wasted no time approaching his closet, stripping off his red pajamas and replacing it with a striped turtleneck. He pulled on a pair of khaki cargo shorts and stuffed a couple other outfits into his bookbag, after dumping out its previous contents; he wouldn't need his school supplies anymore. His toothbrush, his only stuffed toy, given to him by his friend as a birthday present when he was still in kindergarten. Maybe he should bring some paper and pencils to draw? No, they would get all crumpled in his bag. This seemed good. He ran to his nightstand and grabbed his crayon bank, unplugging the bottom and dumping the change in the bag, as well. He didn't know what he could buy with it, but he figured it was better than nothing.

"Chara?"

The boy pushed his bookbag to the side and silently crept to his bed, slipping in and pretending to sleep.

The door creaked open, "Chara?" his mother repeated softly, then saw her boy, seemingly not yet awake. She smiled sadly, approaching his bed, and kissed his cheek gently.

When Chara heard his mother leave, he sat up and sadly grabbed his bag, suddenly reconsidering.

But he was determined.


	3. Chapter 3

"Big kids…don't cry…" he whispered to himself, though he was currently bawling as he ran through the town.

He was sure he was attracting pedestrian attention, but that was fine. None of them had cared when they saw his father scream in his face, slap him, and throw him in the house, or when they saw a group of older boys beating him to the ground. Nobody came for him. Nobody cared. Most of the people who did catch sight of the child, wrote the boy off as having a temper tantrum; it was easier to believe that.

Chara just wanted to leave. Leave his home. Leave his school. Leave his town. Leave this world. He just wanted it to be over. The boy reached the edge of town and looked up at the mountain that guarded it. No one in this superstitious village dared even near this large rock, led alone climb it. Chara would be lying if he claimed he didn't feel a twinge of fear, but despite this, he smiled.

He was surrounded by tall grass and flowers. Bright, yellow flowers. Just like the ones in the center of his village. His small hand reached down and plucked a few from their roots. The child trekked up the grassy incline, brushing branches and leaves out of his way.

Supposedly, any human who climbed up here, never returned…

He was counting on it.

Chara was going to climb the mountain and see what was on the other side. Take a train somewhere, anywhere, and go out on his own, or simply live on the mountain away from any other people. He knew he hadn't thought this through, he knew that before he had left; he wasn't stupid. But he found that he didn't really care. He was a stubborn child, and he would find a way.

Still, thoughts of his mother filled his mind, and he felt the urge to cry again. Out of all the people that he knew, all the people who had known him since he could remember, she was the only one who was hard to leave behind. The ground evened, and he was led to a clearing devoid of any of the golden flowers he had been enjoying. In the middle of the clearing was a large hole. His curiosity was what sent him forward, but he should have been paying more attention to his surroundings, because his foot catching on a root is what sent him tumbling forward.

And then he was falling. His breath caught in his throat. He tried to scream, but he couldn't, as he was plummeting toward the earth. Fear took a hold of his heart, but he smiled despite this, tears lifting from his eyes into the air.

This was what he wanted, wasn't it?

To die.


	4. Chapter 4

His body hurt. Badly. The brunette sat up, causing a wave of pain to travel through his nerves. Chara bit his lip and attempted to lean against his arm for support, but immediately recoiled.

"Damn it!" he screeched, "That hurts like shit!"

The tears running down his cheeks angered him further. He swore again, quieter, and furiously swiped them off his skin.

From within the shadows, another child watched with curious brown eyes. He stepped forward and asked softly, "Are-are you okay?"

The human jumped and looked around. It was a bit dark down here, but the sun streamed from the gaping hole Chara had just fallen down, so when the young monster stepped into view, he could clearly see that the goat-like creature wasn't anywhere near human: he was covered in dirty, white fur with long furry ears hanging down just past his shoulders, white fangs poked out from his mouth, and small horns were growing from the top of his head.

Most humans might have screamed in fear and begged for their lives, but Chara didn't have the energy for that. His heartbeat picked up speed, his eyes widened, pupils constricting as if a bright light had been flashed in his face. Chara was frozen, mouth gaping open but no sound escaping.

When the monster child took another cautious step toward the human, Chara was sent into motion, using his feet to push himself backward. The creature halted, and tilted his head nervously.

"You're hurt…" it stated worriedly.

Chara did not look at it, as he muttered, "I'm fine."

"But…your arm," the monster protested, "And you're crying."

The human boy wanted to jump up to his feet, but was unable. Instead, he compensated by raising his voice as he indignantly shouted, "No I'm not! I don't cry!"

The pitiful, yet fiery look he cast the creature pierced the monster's heart, and he approached the human, holding out a paw. Chara looked up at it in surprise, then looked down again, brown hair splaying over his face. The older child did not wait for Chara to grab his hand, and instead, grasped the human and pulled him to his feet. Chara struggled for a moment, but then stopped and allowed himself to be led. He found he had little choice.

"I'll take you to Mamai and Daidi, they'll help your arm," the goat child said confidently.

"Why are you being so nice to me? You don't even know me."

"What's your name?" was the answer he received.

The human cast him an odd look, then mumbled, "Chara."

"I'm Asriel," the monster smiled at him, "Now I know you."

Chara nodded mutely. He knew he should have put up more of a fight, for the sake of self-preservation, but his value of his life was near zero, so if he was being taken to be killed and eaten, then no great loss would befall him. Hopefully, they ended his life quickly.

The two children reached uneven land, where there was another gap in the earth. A ladder had been set up by Asriel earlier, but he knew Chara wouldn't be able to climb down.

"What is this place?" the human asked, seemingly ignoring their problem.

"Well uh, no one lives here anymore. It used to be a part of Home, but we moved to New Home. This used to be the old castle."

"Castle?"

"Yeah, we have a new one at New Home. Um…" Asriel looked down again, "I don't know how you can get down."

Chara looked at the ladder, then back up at the monster child. "Just go first and hold the ladder when you get down."

"But your arm…are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Okay," Asriel nodded, and climbed down.

As the human watched him, he briefly thought of running off and finding another way out, but he didn't think that would help anything.

"Alright, I'm holding the ladder, Chara!"

Chara slipped down until he felt his feet touch a ring of the ladder. He realized Asriel could easily let go and watch him break every other bone in his body, but he shook the idea from his mind. It was too late now, anyway. Climbing with one arm wasn't easy, but he was okay so long as he had at least one, and both legs. His feet touched the ground and relief was felt by both children. They continued their path, traveling through what appeared to be the lower levels of what once was the castle.

There was a large, open door with light streaming through. Chara looked at Asriel, who was walking through the entrance. The human followed.

/

"Mamai!" Asriel shouted, rushing forward.

They had entered a small room with two thrones of equal size. A woman's voice sounded from a doorway.

"You are back already? I thought for sure you would be playing for lon-"

A creature much like the boy in front of Chara stood with wide eyes. She dusted her paws off on her purple apron, brushing what appeared to be flour down the front, and walked over to the human child with apprehension and concern. Conflicting thoughts shone in her dark brown eyes. Her maternal instinct, however, won over and she gently placed a paw on the boy's shoulder.

"My child, you are hurt," she stated, looking the human up and down.

"I think they broke their arm!" Asriel piped up.

Her eyes drifted to her son, then back to the human boy. She knelt down in front of Chara, and placed her hand as gingerly as she was able on his mangled right arm, closing her eyes. He felt the pain lift from him, and after a moment, the goat woman opened her eyes and looked up into his.

"Does that feel any better?"

"Yes," Chara affirmed softly, "Thank you, miss."

The monster stood, "Please, call me Toriel. Where are your parents, young one? Are you all alone?"

"I don't have any parents," the boy spat bitterly.

Toriel did not know what to say to that, so she simply muttered, "I see. Well, I think it would be a good idea for our scientist to check you over-"

"I'm fine!" Chara argued.

"Yes, yes, but just to be sure," her voice firmly left no room for disagreement, "After that, we can figure out what to do with you. Come now, little one."

"May I come, too, Mamai?" Asriel ran forward and grasped his mother's hand.

"If you would like, that is probably a good idea. So Chara can have someone…familiar, with them."

Both children followed Toriel down a few grey hallways until she stopped at an ornate door, upon which, Asriel's mother knocked. A man's voice could be heard on the other side, muffled, and then footsteps. The door gently opened to reveal what appeared to be a skeleton, dressed in black garb under a stained, white lab coat.

"What might I assist with, your Majesty?" the man bowed, then rose.

"Would you mind looking over this child for me, Doctor? They are a human," she leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "Might you also give them a…psychiatric evaluation, as well?"

"Yes, your Highness," the man said without hesitation.

He approached the human child and knelt down, "Hello, child, I am Dr. Gaster. May you and your friend step into this room with me?"


	5. Chapter 5

The brown haired child stared wide eyed in wonder at the skeletal man, then glanced down at the tiled floor quickly, realizing he must have appeared quite rude. He nodded and stepped further into the room, closely followed by the first monster he had met.

"Don't worry, Chara, the doctor's really, really nice!" the goat-like child 'whispered', though it was loud enough for the adult to hear, "I've known him since forever, so trust me."

The human stared into the other child's earnest brown eyes and smiled, nodding again. Asriel grinned and ran up to the Royal Scientist, who smiled fondly, familiarly, patting the small child's head softly. Then the doctor motioned for the younger boy to step forth, and the brunette did so, shedding his shy and apprehensive exterior into a bolder one, even if, within, he was still frightened.

There was a limited amount of flinching from the human when Gaster picked the child up and set him on a table, but it was obvious enough for the man to take note of it. Perhaps he was just unfamiliar with monsters?

"Hello, child, my name is Doctor W.D. Gaster. I work for young Asriel's parents."

The boy nodded to show his understanding.

"May you tell me your name?"

The child remained silent, and after a moment, shook his head. Gaster sighed, and observed the little boy's eyes grow wide, and his lips tremble slightly as he did so.

"Asriel called you Chara?"

"Y-yes," Chara said softly.

"What a lovely name. So, Chara, how old are you?"

The young one held up both of his hands, displaying all of his fingers.

"Ten?"

"Mmhmm."

"Where are you from, Chara?" as the doctor asked this, he knelt down slightly, so he was more level with the little boy and began taking notes on his observations about the child's apparent physical health.

"Ttobe Village."

The adult paused. "From…the surface?"

"Uhm…y-yes?"

"And how did you get here?"

"I fell," he looked at the man who seemed to want more information than that, "I-I was climbing the mountain, uh, Mt. Ebott, and there was a hole and I tripped. And then I fell someplace dark."

"And then I found him!" Asriel, who had been trying his best to be quiet and not disturb the doctor's work, chimed in, "He was hurt bad and really scared."

"I-I wasn't scared!" the human argued.

"He was crying," the goat child also mentioned, looking up in surprise when his new friend growled and began to shout.

"I-I wasn't crying! Big kids don't cry! I don't cry!"

Chara attempted to climb from the table, but Gaster's reflexes were faster than the infuriated boy, and he grasped the child by his sides, firmly keeping him seated where he was intended to be. The adult looked between the prince and the foreigner, contemplating sending Asriel to wait outside, but it seemed the prince was the only one around who could provoke emotion aside form apprehensiveness out of the human.

"Calm down, child. Prince Asriel wasn't trying to upset you."

"I-I'm sorry, Chara!" Asriel ran over to the table, looking up at his friend sadly, "I didn't mean to!"

The brunette looked at the other child and then lowered his head, mumbling something that neither of the others could make out.

"Why did that anger you, Chara?" Gaster asked.

It was a risk. Clearly this was sensitive to the human child, but it could aid in determining the child's origin and mental stability. As he questioned the boy, he lifted him in his arms and set him down onto the tiled floor, taking measurements of height and weight whilst the child answered.

"Big kids don't cry," was the simple answer, much quieter this time.

"And who told you that?" the doctor questioned, inspecting Chara's once injured arm.

"Daddy."

The skeleton stopped and crouched down, setting his thumb on the boy's collar bone so his boney fingers curled around the space where his glenohumeral rested. "And, where is your father?"

"Surface."

"So you would like to return to hi-"

"No!"

Gaster paused, releasing the child from his grip when Chara jumped backward. So much hurt shone in his green eyes.

"Don't make me go back to Mommy and Daddy, please. I don't want to go back there!"

The skeleton stood. "Asriel, may you go wait outside for a moment?"

"Why can't he stay?" the human protested softly.

"Just for a short while."

Asriel looked from his friend to the grown up, nodded, and retreated outside the room. When the door closed with a small clicking sound, Gaster placed the little boy on the table once more, determining that physically, the child was healthy.

"Why do you not want to return to your mother and father, young one?"

Chara spoke not a word.

"Why did you go to the mountain, Chara?"

The boy shrugged.

"Were you trying to run away?"

A nod.

"Why?"

Chara shook his head.

"Chara..?"

"I wanted to go away."

"Why would you run off to the mountain? Do you not have a friend you would have rather stay with?"

"I don't have friends. I wanted to go away."

"What do you…mean?"

Silence.

"How about this. Can you describe a typical day in your life?"

"Uh, like, on a school day?"

"Um, yes. And when you are off from school, if you could."

"I wake up earlier on school days and go to school. I come home and usually try to just go to my room so I don't do something Daddy doesn't like. When I don't have school I go outside for the day or stay in my room unless I have to get food."

"Chara? Did your parents provide you with food?"

He nodded.

"How often?"

The boy held up three fingers, then said, "And sometimes a snack or dessert."

"And what happens when you do something your father doesn't like?"

Silence.

"Did your parents ever…hurt you?"

He did not respond.

"Chara," Gaster gently took the little boy's chin in his skeletal hand, forcing the little boy to meet his eye sockets, "This is very important. May you answer my question, please?"

Chara nodded, "Daddy hits me a lot or pushes me."

"Where does he hit you?"

Chara hiked his sweater up a bit, revealing the bruises that danced along his stomach and ribs. Then whispered, "And sometimes my back or face."

The doctor wrote something down quickly, but Chara was unable to see.

"Do you have any siblings, Chara?"

Mn mn. Just me, Mommy, and Daddy."

"Do you know what season it is right now?"

The brunette gave the man a quizzical look. What did that have to do with anything? Still, the doctor was awaiting an answer, so the child obliged.

"Fall. But a lot of the leaves haven't changed yet."

"Do you know the month?"

"September. I always thought that was summer, but my teacher told us it was fall."

"Your teacher is correct," Gaster smiled, jotting down a short note, then turned back to the human, "How high can you count?"

"Over a thousand," the boy declared proudly.

Gaster chuckled, "May you count to ten for me?"

The child did so.

"Now may you do it backwards."

Chara did that as well.

A few more tasks of the same nature and suddenly the doctor held up a pen with the peculiar question, "What is this?"

"A…pen?"

The skeleton nodded and continued this with a few more very recognizable objects.

"Now, when I tell you to start, can you name all the words you can think of that begin with the letter, 'A'?"

Chara nodded, and, when prompted to do so, began spouting off random words, "Arrow. Ark. Arch. Answer. Axe. Ant. Airplane. Arm…"

And so this continued. There was a test of morality, which the child passed almost perfectly, save for the question, "What would you do if you found a large sum of money on the ground?"

"Keep it," had been the answer, but this could easily be written off as youthful selfishness and not understand the value of money to its full extent.

More questions to determine orientation, cognitive thought, and memory.

"Soon you will be able to leave, child. I know you must be bored. I am going to take your pulse for a minute, would you mind pulling up your sleeve?"

Chara looked up suddenly, biting his lip, but at this point, he had realized that there was no getting around anything the doctor needed to do to determine his mental and physical health. He tugged on the loose fitting sleeve just enough to reveal the pressure point needed, he had learned about it in science just a few weeks ago. It didn't seem to be enough, however, as Gaster gently folded the fabric back to show more of the pale skin of the child's wrist. The man paused.

Across the boy's arm were long, jagged scars, shining white against the flesh. Gaster took in these scars, and as he did, Chara observed his expression.

The human spoke up, "My Dad…" was all he said.

The bone of Gaster's skull scrunched near the forehead, then rose, likening a raised eyebrow, but he spoke not. He set two boney fingers against the boy's wrist, causing the child to finch slightly at the cold, unfamiliar touch to his sensitive skin, then once again, the man took note of something. The doctor snapped the binder which held his notes shut, pulled the boy's sleeve down, and stood, setting the boy on the ground. He cast Chara a kind smile and strode toward the door. When he opened it, Asriel turned at the sound and grinned, running in and hugging his friend.

"That took forever! You must have been so bored, Chara! Let's go to my room and play now!"

Gaster cleared his throat. "We should probably seek her majesty first, and then go from there."

"Oh yeah. Come on, Chara!"

The monster child took the human's hand and ran off. Behind them, Gaster sighed, but not without a smile upon his face. The castle was definitely very lively with the royal child around. It had changed him. Had changed the King and Queen. The birth of their son had given everyone, even the doctor himself, hope for the future.

He walked calmly after the little boys until the three of them ran into the Queen herself. The woman turned and approached the Royal Scientist. Both adults spoke softly, much too quiet for either child to hear, until Toriel cleared her throat and turned to her son and the new occupant.

"Boys. How about you two play in the garden for a little while? I will come get you for dinner later."

Asriel nodded enthusiastically and before Chara could even have a reaction, the human was pulled off once more in the direction of the garden. When both children have left the range of hearing, Toriel brought her attention back to the skeleton, who wore a troubled expression.

"I am concerned about the child," he said.

 **A/N Honestly, I feel like child abuse is a rather miniscule occurrence in the Undeground. I think that the majority of the monster population was wiped out during the War (especially at this time, because this isn't too drastically separated from the time of the war, but it is far enough that the war did happen before Chara was born and the humans generally don't talk about the monsters as if they were real, even though the adults know they are). And on top of that, the monsters try to be more friendly toward each other because their numbers are so low. I also have the weird headcannon that, while it's still not a huge issue, I feel like domestic abuse is a much higher problem than child abuse. Anyway, I wanted Gaster's questions to be similar and different from how a real doctor may handle the subject of abuse, mostly because I'm not so sure social services exist in the Underground.**


	6. Chapter 6

The air felt warm, which confused young Chara. They were underneath the ground, so there shouldn't be a Sun, but the air did not feel cool. It was moist and placed a comfortable temperature. He thought he might ask the Prince, but figured the other little boy probably wouldn't know either, although the main reason Chara kept his mouth shut was the sudden courage that drained him, suddenly prompting him to seal his lips. Asriel didn't seem to notice.

Both children looked around, Asriel trying to think of a fun game to play with his new friend, and Chara staring wide-eyed at the wide variety of colorful flowers and shrubs, many of which he had never seen before. The human's face lit up at the array.

"Mmm…we could play tag..?" Asriel was muttering, "Or hide-and-go-"

The goat child turned to the human and laughed, causing the brunette to jump up, red faced, and sputter in embarrassment.

"W-why are you laughing?! What'd I do?" Chara's face morphed into an annoyed pout as he crossed his arms, "What's so funny?"

It took a few moments, but the prince managed to compose himself enough to choke down the rest of his giggles. He smiled good naturedly at the new arrival.

"Nothing, I'm sorry. You just look so…amazed."

"These flowers are so pretty. I've never seen a lot of them before," Chara muttered at the ground, the blush tinting his cheeks again.

"I don't know the names of most of them, but I can show you some of the flowers that my parents say _only_ grow in the Underground! If you want."

"How do flowers grow down here?"

Asriel blinked. "Why wouldn't they?"

"Don't plants need Sun to grow?"

The goat child shrugged, "These have been here since I was born, so I guess not."

Chara looked like he was going to ask something, but then changed his mind, instead saying, "Sure. We can look at the plants. Bet I can get to that purple one over there faster!"

Before the prince had time to react, the brunette had already taken off, laughing joyously. Asriel sputtered in indignation, then rushed to catch up to the younger boy. The smaller child was given too far a head start, however, and managed to reach the large, brightly colored flora first. Chara turned and laughed giddily.

"I win!" he announced proudly.

"Only because you cheated," Asriel reminded with a soft pout.

The human lightly punched the elder in the arm, his grin unfaltering, "Don't be a sore loser, Asriel! I won fair and square."

"Yeah, right…'fair'," the prince laughed with a role of his brown eyes.

In response, Chara stuck out his tongue good naturedly. His eyes drifted to the finish line.

"This is really pretty."

Asriel nodded. "My Daidi said it doesn't grow on the surface!..He didn't tell me why though. I guess it doesn't need sunlight," he looked at his friend, "You like flowers, too?"

Chara blushed and looked at his feet, "Well…my Dad says that I shouldn't 'cause it's too girly…but yeah, I kinda do." The child lifted his eyes to meet those of the monster, "They're pretty."

Asriel nodded, "Yeah! They are! I don't think liking flowers is girly. My Daidi loves flowers and he's a mighty King!" The child's head perked up as he thought of his father, "Oh yeah! You haven't met him! Let's go see hi-" He was about to grab the wrist of the other small one, but halted.

"What's wrong?"

"Mamai usually tells me to go play when she's talking with the grown-ups about something she doesn't want me to know," the boy shook his head for emphasis, "So we probably shouldn't leave until she comes to get us."

"Your Mom doesn't seem mean like my Dad is," the brunette thought aloud, then his face broke into a wide, mischievous grin, "We should go anyway! Uh…we probably won't get in trouble, right?"

"I…don't know. I don't think we should, Chara."

"Come on! It'll be like an adventure! We're basically grown up now anyway, right? My Dad always tells me I need to be an adult."

"But…"Asriel gave a thoughtful, and slightly concerned look, not sure if he should say this, "I thought you don't like your Dad?"

"I don't." Chara's expression deadpanned sadly, "But that doesn't mean he was wrong."

The monster child made no move to go. Chara grabbed his furry paw and pulled him in the direction of the castle, and soon allowed the occupant to lead as the two boys made a silent agreement.

After all, it was only bad if they got caught, right?


End file.
